Page 56 of Filthy Business
I left my phone on the bed and got dressed.
???
With my nails manicured and a relaxing facial massage complete, I contemplated the older woman in the same beauty salon. My inner rage, pain, and distress were dampened by being coddled by Daddy. Never had I expected him to fall so hard for me. Everything in his life had left him open to my exploitation.
I glanced at Leona as she joined me in the reception area, blinking back tears. I clutched my receipt and stared from the corner of the room. She looked the same. The haughty attitude. The privileged tone as she addressed the peasant class. All of it under a face caked like a bakery. Her cloying perfume was so strong it was suffocating.
“What do you mean it’s declined?” she hissed.
And I could breathe again, remembering why I was here.
“We can try another card?” the young receptionist suggested with a smile.
Leona’s vicious tongue didn’t hold back as she muttered under her breath, rifling through her wallet.
I waited long enough to hear that the second card was declined—and Leona’s explosion—before I slipped out unnoticed. Nick was waiting in the car, stepping out to open the door for me before I even reached him.
“Please make one last stop at Harrods,” I told him.
He smiled and nodded.“Yes, of course, Miss Dalton.”
I blinked at him for a moment. This all felt surreal. But the baby nestling in my belly was real. It was ours.
As Nick closed the door, I rolled the window down and caught a glimpse of Leona’s tantrum through the salon window as the car began to move.
No more high society parties. No more fresh-off-the-runway gowns. No more hiring men and fucking them on the side. No more power over the working class.
Leona Trentham was unravelling.
And I wasn’t done with her yet.
???
Dinner was ready by the time Daddy came home. His 30-year-old sherry cask Macallan waited on the table, and the Harrods desserts were tucked in the fridge. His shoes clicked across the marble floor—jacket and bag discarded—before his body slammed into mine. He hoisted me off my feet and sat my ass on the counter.
“God, I missed you today, baby,” he said, nuzzling into my neck before kissing me.
His hand yanked my hair back as he devoured my mouth. I wrapped my legs around his waist, fingers hooking around his neck. I inhaled his cologne—fresh, sexy, unmistakably him.
He smelled like home.
I took a moment for myself—just to hold him.
His kiss softened, and when he pulled back, his wet lips were curled in a warm smile. I almost blurted out that I loved him, but my tattered heart didn’t have the courage.
His smile vanished as he glanced behind me.
“Did you buy me a bottle of Macallan?” he growled.
God, what now?
“Yes,” I said, resting my hands on his shoulders, admiring his royal blue tie.“I wanted to do something nice for you.”
He looked startled for a moment.
“Baby, I’m the one who’s supposed to spoil you. Your allowance is all for you.”
“Well, if it’s mine, I wanted to use it for you,” I said, digging in stubbornly.
